Earlier this year, I reported that Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had agreed to an e-mail interview with me. I asked readers to submit questions, then chose a few of those questions to send. Gov. Huckabee has graciously responded, and I thank him for his time.
Tim: Given the fact that Republicans are supposed to believe in small government, what are three areas in which you plan to reduce the size of the federal government?
Gov. Huckabee:
1. Internal Revenue Service — I support the Fair Tax, which not only reduces the tax burden of all Americans, but also will eliminate the IRS by using state sales tax collection systems and creating a small office within the Treasury Department.
2. Welfare — As governor of Arkansas, I oversaw a successful welfare-to-work program that reduced welfare rolls by almost 50 percent. I would continue that effort as president.
3. Medicaid — I will both reduce the Medicaid rolls and cut the costs of those who remain in the program. We don’t have a health care crisis, we have a health crisis. About 75 percent of our $2 trillion spent on health care annually is spent on chronic disease, most of which could be prevented by not smoking, eating healthier diets, and exercising. In fact, these three lifestyle changes could prevent 40 percent of cancers, 80 percent of type-2 diabetes, and 80 percent of heart disease! So prevention would contain an enormous source of our spiraling health-care costs. As governor, I made free smoking cessation programs available to all Medicaid recipients.
Second, early diagnosis and better, more consistent management of chronic disease will also contain Medicaid costs significantly. Right now, our system is happy to pay $30,000 for a diabetic to have his foot amputated, but won’t pay $150 for a podiatrist who could save that foot. Many diabetics are on Medicaid. So we must change our coverage system to avoid the catastrophic outcomes that the system now encourages. We must waive deductibles and co-pays for screenings (such as mammograms, colonoscopies and PSA tests) that lead to early detection, as I did as governor.
Third, we must move from an employer-based system to a consumer-based system, which will make health insurance more affordable and help get people off Medicaid. Our current employer-based system doesn’t let the free market function because the overwhelming share of the cost is picked up by the employer, while the person actually using the system, the employee, pays only a small fraction of the bill and often doesn’t even know what the total cost is. Whenever the person using something and the person paying for it are not the same, whenever something is essentially free, more of it is going to be consumed. With a consumer-based system, you have some skin in the game, some incentives to stay healthy and not take every MRI you possibly can. So moving to a consumer-based system will bring down costs for everyone.
Tim: What are your thoughts on the UN? Has it outlived its relevance?
Gov. Huckabee: I think the United Nations does some humanitarian missions well. I don’t really expect much from them, so I’m never disappointed.
Tim: What practical steps would you take to reduce the number of abortions performed in America? Beyond appointing judges, what are the specific policies that a Huckabee administration would pursue from the time you take office?
Gov. Huckabee: No candidate has a stronger record on the sanctity of life than I do. I first became politically active when I helped pass Arkansas’ Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do whatever it can to protect life.
As governor, I used the Amendment to pass pro-life legislation. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction. I banned partial birth abortion, I required parental notification, I required that a woman give informed consent before having an abortion, I required that a woman be told her baby will experience pain and be given the option of anesthesia for her baby, I allowed a woman to have her baby and leave the child safely at a hospital, and I made it a crime for an unborn child to be injured or murdered during an attack on his mother.
What I accomplished as governor proves that there is a lot more that a pro-life president can do than wait for a Supreme Court vacancy, and I will do everything I can to promote a pro-life agenda and pass pro-life legislation. If I’m saddled with a Democrat Congress, I’ll veto any pro-abortion legislation they pass. I will staff all relevant positions with pro-life appointees. I will use the bully pulpit to change hearts and minds, to move this country from a culture of death to a culture of life.
Tim: What is your suggested solution to the illegal immigration problem?
Gov. Huckabee: We have to secure our border first, and so I supported the amendment to the recent homeland security bill that will provide the $3 billion to convert the rhetoric about controlling our border into results. These funds will train and deploy 23,000 more law enforcement personnel, add four drone airplanes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and erect 105 radar and camera towers. They end “catch and release” by providing money to “catch and detain” those caught entering illegally and to crack down on those who enter legally, but overstay their visas. These border security provisions will stem the tide of illegals, which is what we must do before we can turn the tide and deal with those who are already here. Before you fix the damage in your house caused by a leaking roof, you stop the leak, which is what this legislation will do.
We must enforce our laws and end sanctuary cities. No one believes more than I do in limited government, in letting issues be determined on the state and local levels as much as possible. But illegal immigration is clearly a federal issue and the consequences for illegal entry must be swift, certain, and consistent throughout the country.
In this age of terror, illegal immigration is a national security issue. Cities and towns must not be allowed to put the rest of us at risk if, by offering sanctuary to illegals, they unwittingly become magnets for terror cells. The federal government must issue guidelines to our states and localities on their proper role in enforcing our immigration laws. We have to crack down on businesses that employ workers with false Social Security numbers. The Department of Homeland Security is trying to do this, but its new rules are being challenged in court. I look forward to these frivolous challenges being defeated, so that these crucial rules can be enforced.
Tim: How will your faith affect how you run your campaign? If elected, how will it affect your presidency?
Gov. Huckabee: My faith is my life – it defines me. I don’t separate my personal and professional lives. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them, both in how I am running this campaign and how I will govern if elected president. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for “the least of us.” Our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith — not a prescriptive one telling us whether to believe, but one acknowledging that a providence pervades our world. We need a president who leads in that spirit.
Tim: How do you intend to increase your visibility and viability as a candidate?
Gov. Huckabee: My campaign got a huge burst of momentum with my strong finish at the Iowa Straw Poll, which translated into a surge in fundraising and media coverage. We really have been the electric car of this race, the super-efficient one that does more with less, and that approach will continue even as our resources increase. I will continue to rise in the polls by doing lots of retail campaigning, performing well in debates, and focusing on the issues Americans are most concerned about, like winning the war on terror, transforming education and health care, achieving energy independence, strengthening American families, and making us more prosperous and competitive in the global economy.
I believe I am the most viable candidate for the Republican nomination because I am the only authentic, consistent conservative with executive experience, and the most viable for the general election because I represent the values of Main Street, not the greed of Wall Street or the corruption of K Street. I will energize our base while attracting large numbers of independents and Reagan Democrats.